Back home, Jiang Shuya, carrying the gifts she had bought, rode her bicycle all the way to her aunt's house. As soon as she arrived at the door, she saw the old man sitting under the eaves of her mother-in-law's house, holding Tangtang and watching people play cards. He had a cigarette in his mouth, and smoke was swirling around him. Tangtang was sneezing on the old man's shoulder, inhaling the secondhand smoke from the surroundings. She frowned, parked her bicycle, and went over. Suppressing her anger, she picked up Tangtang, took the four-piece bedding set she had just bought, and carried it into the inner room. When she saw her aunt, she handed it to her.
The aunt hesitated for a moment, then scolded, "Oh dear! Why buy this? There are so many at home. Her family gave her several sets as part of her dowry, all custom-made. You should take it back and keep it for yourself!"
Seeing that she didn't seem to care much, Jiang Shuya patiently explained, "This is a brushed four-piece bedding set. Only certain brands in department stores have this kind of material. Regular bedding stores don't have it. It's definitely different from the one she ordered. I went to choose it this morning. Please accept it!"
The mother-in-law was stuffing red dates and walnuts into the wedding quilt on the bed, and couldn't help but chime in: "Since you've already bought them, just keep them. It's a waste not to keep them."
After saying that, she glanced at Jiang Shuya. Seeing that her aunt did not refuse again, she carried Tangtang to the back room. Inside, her sister-in-law Zhang Xiaohui was busy in the kitchen. She went into the kitchen, found a small bowl, took out rice cereal from the baby food bag, prepared it, and fed Tangtang half a bowl.
Not long after we finished eating, a voice announced, "The bride has arrived."
Everyone rushed outside. Jiang Shuya, carrying Tangtang, found a higher step and glanced in the direction the people had come from. She saw the bride, dressed in a pure white wedding gown, holding up her train with both hands, walking slowly ahead with the groom. The groom was carrying the bouquet. For some reason, the bride was walking. A murmur of laughter rippled through the crowd: "Is the bride too heavy? The groom probably can't carry her, so she got out of the car and walked. Tsk tsk, she even saved on the fare for getting out of the car, haha..."
Upon entering the room, they discovered that the bride's face was extremely pale. The aunt quickly went forward to inquire about the reason. Huang Minghao, who was among the people behind, was carrying dowry gifts and delivering them to the backyard. They saw the bride, groom, and aunt enter the bridal chamber, close the door, and talk in the inner room.
Seeing that they hadn't won any prizes, the host arranged for everyone to sit down for a meal. There was one table for the elders, another for the cousins, and another for the relatives and neighbors, making a total of more than a dozen tables for people of all ages.
Not long after Jiang Shuya sat down with Tangtang in her arms, she saw Huang Minghao being seated next to her. Just as the cold dishes were served, her mother-in-law came over and gave Jiang Shuya a red envelope: "You brought money, right? Here's a red envelope for you. You'll need it for the toasts later."
Jiang Shuya glanced around and lowered her voice, "Isn't it only elders who give red envelopes when toasting? I'm of the same generation, do I have to give one too?" Her mother-in-law said impatiently, "It's their custom there. Anyone who toasts you after you've been married has to give you a red envelope, even if they call you 'auntie' or 'sister-in-law'."
Watching his mother-in-law leave, Huang Minghao, sitting beside her, remained silent. Jiang Shuya pushed a red envelope in front of him: "I already bought a gift this morning. Do you want me to prepare this red envelope as well?"
"Why are you giving this to me? Take it away," Huang Minghao said coldly.
"Okay." At this moment, Jiang Shuya picked up the big red envelope from the table, tore it into two pieces, then into four pieces, and threw it on the ground to Huang Minghao's surprise.
She lifted Tangtang up with one hand, completely ignoring the whispers around the table. After all, she was a foodie. She didn't want to stay there for even a moment longer than she wanted to eat a bite of food.
"Get out of here right now, don't stay here!" Huang Minghao snapped angrily.
At this moment, someone tugged at Huang Minghao's arm, picked up his chopsticks, and shouted, "Come on, come on, eat! Don't just sit there, start eating!" Seeing that the people at the next table had started eating, everyone picked up their chopsticks and began to eat.
The bride had changed into a bright red cheongsam and came out with the groom, holding wine glasses to toast the elders. A young girl followed behind, carrying a tray, and toasted each of the elders at the table.
Jiang Shuya ate without putting down her chopsticks. She glanced at the scene and suddenly remembered that at her wedding banquet with Huang Minghao, she had done the same thing, toasting a group of elders. She clearly saw that her aunt and son-in-law left their seats early to avoid the awkwardness of toasting, and naturally, she didn't have to give out a red envelope.
Looking up, the trays were piled high with the bounty of the wedding. The bride's face was beaming with joy, and the groom's eyes shone with happiness. On this joyous day, blessings of congratulations on a long and happy marriage and the wish for many children were offered one after another at the banquet table.
Tangtang is a restless child. Before all the food and drinks were served, Jiang Shuya had already finished eating. Seeing that the time was right, she picked up Tangtang from her seat, went to the kitchen to tell Zhang Xiaohui that she was going back, took the baby food bag, and pushed the stroller out. When she saw her uncle smoking at the door, she politely said a few words and took Tangtang home.
When she got home, she told her younger sister, Jiang Shuting, about her upcoming purchasing plan. At first, Jiang Shuting was quite surprised. The biggest fear in online shopping is a lack of supply and no stable supply. Currently, there are precedents for purchasing online. Judging from the shipping points, there has never been one in Jiang Province, but other first-tier cities have. Speaking of taking photos, she naturally needs to use Chen Lin's camera. The two agreed that Chen Lin would personally deliver it after get off work that evening and personally teach her how to use it.
After finishing all that and feeding Tangtang her milk, I was about to head to Software Avenue when I saw Sun Qi already at the door, holding a thermal box in her hand. She said shyly, "Sister-in-law, these are pan-fried buns that Grandma made. She asked me to bring some for you to try. They're still warm, so they taste better while they're hot."
Jiang Shuya glanced at the insulated food container that was being offered to her, hesitated for a moment. She really wasn't hungry at the moment, but seeing his sincere expression, she couldn't bear to refuse, so she took it without asking.
"Thanks, but I'm not hungry right now. I just ate at my relatives' house. I'll eat later, and I'll definitely finish it all." She then smiled brightly at Sun Qi and asked curiously, "How old are you?"
“Ah, ...I...I’m 24 this year,” Sun Qi stammered.
Jiang Shuya fiddled with the pear tree in front of her and asked casually, "Do you have a girlfriend?"
Sun Qi blushed instantly and scratched her head: "No."
"I never thought about what kind of person I was looking for," Jiang Shuya asked again.
Jiang Shuya felt a little guilty after asking the question, because Wang Tingting's curiosity had also made her more gossipy.
Sun Qi looked somewhat bewildered and did not answer.
"Then you have to tell me your requirements before I can help you find someone." Jiang Shuya persisted.
"I don't have any requirements, just someone like my sister-in-law will do." Sun Qi hurriedly left these words to Jiang Shuya and walked away quickly.
Jiang Shuya was stunned for a moment, blaming herself for asking such a rash question, which made her seem so abrupt.
I glanced at the sky and saw that the pears, which were almost turning yellow, were ripe. I picked a dozen more, took the box of pan-fried buns, and headed to the apartment on Software Avenue to find my sister, Jiang Shuting.
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